1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to powered small personal watercraft such as water sleds or jet skis and more particularly to a protective liner which may be secured in spaced relationship with respect to an existing hull so as to form a protective liner for the hull of a type that substantially covers the bow, bottom and side portions of the hull in such a manner as to not adversely affect the planing characteristics of the hull when the watercraft is in use. The protective liner is a molded one piece plastic shell which in the preferred embodiment may further include stern wall portions which are selectively engagable with the stern wall of the watercraft and through which openings are provided to permit drainage of fluid from the space between the protective liner and the hull of the watercraft.
2. History of the Related Art
The popularity and use of individualized watercraft such as jet sleds or jet skis is ever increasing especially as such craft are generally low cost and easily transportable from one location to another. Further, such watercraft do not require specialized launching facilities and therefore such craft may be utilized in areas where other types of watercraft cannot be suitably launched. Further, with the advent of jet propulsion system which do not utilize an types of mechanical props it is possible to launch or dock such vehicles directly onto the bank or the shore along a given body of water as there is no mechanical obstruction which can be damaged by the watercraft planing onto a solid surface. However, due to the natural tendency to launch such vehicles directly from the shoreline, damage frequently occurs to the hull of the boat by the hull striking rocks, branches or other debris along the shoreline.
In view of the foregoing, many jet ski enthusiasts find that they must frequently have the hulls of such watercraft patched or repaired. During maintenance processes it is important to ensure that the repair to the hull is accomplished in such a manner that the outline of the hull or its true outer skin configuration is not adversely affected. If repairs are made which result in protrusion or uneven surface characteristics along the outer surface of the hull then the planing action of the hull will be adversely affected thereby modifying the maneuverability of the jet ski when in use. Further, in many instances where repair is necessary, after a plug or patch has been made the hull must thereafter be repainted in order to maintain not only the aesthetic characteristics of the hull shape and design but also to seal any plugs or patches. In view of the foregoing, the cost of repairs may be significant and the time for accomplishing the repairs may mean the unavailability of the watercraft for an extended period of time.
In the past there have been a number of innovations proposed for protecting the hulls of different types of watercraft. Due to the size of hulls of even small watercraft, including conventional motor boats and the like, concern has been primarily directed to protecting only small portions of the boat hull. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,026 to Lichti, a hull protector is disclosed which includes a clear plastic shield which is directly adhesively secured to the bow portion of the hull in the area of the keel. With this structure the forward portion or bow portion of the hull is provided with an additional covering layer for protecting the bow portion against impacting objects both in the water and objects encountered when the boat is being landed or loaded upon a trailering vehicle. Such structure, however, does not provide adequate protection for the remaining portion of the hull, and further, due to the size of the hull such protection would probably be impractical and economically prohibitive. Further, due to the numerous shapes of hulls of existing small boats, providing separately moldable protective coverings for each bow component would not be practical.
Another protective device for the keel portion of the bow of a boat hull is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,172 to Hamby. This patent discloses the use of an elongated strip of flexible resilient solid material which is adhered by adhesive strips to the keel portion of the bow. The resilient material is provided only along a portion of the length of the keel at the bow of the hull and extends for a short distance on either side of the keel. The material is provided only to protect the keel from impacting objects and does not otherwise provide a cover for or protect other portions of the hull.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,055 to Schad discloses a reinforcement for watercraft wherein the bottom portion of the hull is provided with both a primary and a secondary skin or layer. The secondary skin is provided as a removable protective layer which is keyed into specially designed T-shaped slots formed in the primary skin. In this manner, the secondary skin may be removed in the event of wear or damage and replaced. Unfortunately, with such a structure the bottom of the hull must be specifically shaped so as to provide a mechanical interlock for the secondary skin. Such a structure would not be possible for most watercraft as the configuration of the bottom of the hull would not be conducive to allow mechanical interlocking. Further, such mechanical interlocking can adversely affect the planing characteristics of the hull in the water.
Another type of mechanically interlocked protective layer for small watercraft, including water skis, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,619 to Nishida. In this patent a flexible bottom wall protector is disclosed which is designed to be interfitted within specially designed slots formed in the bottom of the hull of the watercraft. The hull protector extends from the bow to the stern of the boat but only along a centralized portion of the bottom. Further, the protective liner must be interfitted within a tongue and groove arrangement and is seated against the primary hull without any space being created therebetween. With this type of structure the hull of the boat must be specifically designed to accept the outer protective layer s that the outer protective layer actually forms or creates the planing surface of the hull. Therefore, if the protective layer is removed the total planing characteristics of the hull are changed to a degree which would not be suitable for normal use. Thus, it is likely that the protective layer must always be present on the hull when the vehicle is in use and therefore the purchaser must acquire the protective liner when the water vehicle is initially purchased.
Additional patents of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,697,762 to Arney and 4,739,723 to Plucknett.